Jan 18: After breaking all records of attendance and acts during the 10th edition last year, SulaFest enters the next decade as the annual musical gourmet event, on February 3 and 4 when one may enjoy a weekend full of western and Indian music, delicious gourmet foods and plenty of Sula labels and other wines being imported by India’s largest wine producer, writes Subhash Arora who believes the mini Woodstock is great attraction for music and wine lovers
Eat, Shop and Pray, oops- Drink, seem to be the Mantras that await you in Nashik-a couple of weekends away- on February 3-4 at SulaFest s, the first weekend of February at Sula Vineyards where 12000-people are expected to land during the 2 days of the world music festival.
Music and Artists
This year’s artist line-up befits a true ‘World Music Festival’ with the freshest acts - as always- a mix of nationwide and internationally celebrated artists.
Amit Trivedi, the Bollywood music director who has given music for recent movies like Akshay Kumar-starrer, Padman being released across India on January 25 and who has bagged a number of accolades for the18 songs he composed for the movie Dev D, is now all set to mesmerize the crowds this year. He will be one of the Headliners and will play to his hundreds of fans. Trivedi says, “Music festivals are all about music and that’s what I love the most about them. SulaFest is a one-of-its-kind music festival that is an exciting combination of world music, gourmet and wine. “He has divided his set into two parts, he says; the first part is only for the ears and the next is for legs.”
Joining Trivedi in the Premium space at the Amphitheater as Headliners will be English electronic-folk band Crystal Fighters, Austrian musician Parov Stelar who is credited with creating the Electro Swing Genre, British band The Beat featuring Ranking Roger, 5-piece band- a ‘vocal groove collective’– Bauchklang returns to the country one more time this SulaFest to take the crowds into a musical tizzy!. Gypsy Hill will also be a part of the 100-plus Indian and international artists from 30 different countries across 25 genres.
Other Attractions
In the SulaFest Bazaar section, there will be a selection of gourmet food, great drinks, charming merchandise and a plethora of fun-filled activities. The latter includes activities like foot massages, tattoos, tarot reading, grape stomping and special wine tours. And of course there will be plenty of wine to pass around. Along with wines from Sula, there will also be a fine variety of imported wines being imported by Sula Selection- Hardys, Mud House, beer and spirits from across the globe. For the last few editions, spirits from other allied importers like Aspri is also in the portfolio of spirits.
This is the first time when many old-timers like Cecilia Oldne who have been involved from day one, organising the event would be missing. Even Rajeev Samant, the founder CEO of the company is constantly on the move with London as the second base. Nick Pringle, the COO and Ken Pritchard, SVP Marketing and International Sales and he would be at the helm for the 11th edition of the Fest which started with barely a few hundred people attending the first year in 2008 and touched almost 18,000-20,000 in the 3-day event during the 10th year celebration last year.
Ken Pritchard who is a music lover and directly heading the organisation of the festival this year says, ‘For me it will be my first SulaFest and as someone who loves music, food and great wine, I really cannot wait! My last festival seems ages ago, Glastonbury 2016 so I have a thirst waiting to be quenched. Having heard so much about SulaFest I am immensely proud to be part of the organising team and look forward to a fun-filled weekend listening to great music, enjoying fabulous food and creating some more festival memories. I just can’t wait!’
Creating more festival memories it certainly will, although this year’s edition of SulaFest may not be able to break last year’s records in terms of attendance since it has been brought back to 2 days after the 3-day event last year, but it will have all the vibrations and vivaciousness of that edition with an additional year of experience in handling such a massive event. Rajeev Samant, who has returned from the US a few days ago, is expected to attend the event, as always and in fact is reportedly involved also in the organisation which is primarily in the hands of Ken.
SulaFest has been recognized as an excellent venue for Western and Indian music combined with the opportunity to taste numerous wines from Sula and the imported selection, delicious food from its own restaurants Soma and Little Italy and some of the well-established vendors in Mumbai , Pune and other cities. But it has been and still is, a part of wine-tourism of Sula which is a leader in this segment as well. The 12000-18,000 estimated numbers attending every year is part of the 260,000+ visitors to the winery in a year-fast escalating to establish Guinness World Record for annual visitors. Despite the logistical constraints faced by the organizers due to the unprecedented numbers concentrating over 2 days, the event captures the essence of all that is fun, in a relaxed atmosphere.
It is held over the first week-end of February every year, making it easy to plan to organise and attend, anywhere in the world. If you have been waiting on the fence to attend a vibrant music gourmet festival, you may get another chance during the first week-end in February 2019, if not on February 3-4 this year.
Stay and tickets
There is plenty of choice available in several hotels-with many more coming up every year. Taj, Ibis, Ginger, Formule1 and Express Inn are a few of the hotel options you may choose from - all located less than 30-45 minutes from the vineyards. One can stay at the Beyond Resort owned by Soma Vineyards which also owns 3 villas that can be rented out by the room-all within 10 minutes of the Menu. If you like to stay on a budget or love to camp out in the open, close to the venue there are several options. Check out www.sulafest.com. Tickets for the event may be booked through BookMyshow.com- Rs. 2200 per day or Rs. 3750 for the 2-day entry passes.
Jai Ho to all those attending-or not!
For some of the several Articles written over the last few years, visit the following to get the complex flavour of SulaFest.
SulaFest 2017: Smooth and Seamless Show for Music Lovers
SulaFest ready to Rock n Roll for Tenth Year
SulaFest 2016: Another Memorable Feast for Music and Wine Lovers
SulaFest-Truly Fashionable Musical Event of 2015
Heady Sulafest ‘13 for a Fix of Music, Wine and Fun
DWC: Celebrating 10th Year in Nashik Vineyards
Sulafest-Mini Woodstock in Nashik
Subhash Arora
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